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If yahapalana govt. had arrested Zahran over incidents prior to Easter Sunday carnage, many lives could have been saved – Sarath

Published

4 years ago

2022/02/25

By Saman Indrajith

Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retd) Sarath Weerasekera on Wednesday (23) told Parliament that those who made public statements on Easter Sunday terror attacks without sharing such information with investigators would be summoned by the CID to record statements.

Participating in a debate on a motion by the Opposition that victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks have not been served justice, the Minister said that if anyone had any information about the Easter attacks, it was his or her duty to report such information to the police and share them with the investigators. “It is wrong and illegal for them to make statements to the media without sharing those facts and details with the investigators. Such actions will affect investigations and create undue suspicions among people. Hence the CID will summon them to elicit information. In the same manner, anyone who feels that he or she is wrongly accused by those giving voice cuts, can complain to the CID so that the CID could investigate those false statements. He or she also has the right to seek legal redress in this regard.

“The motion being debated here states that justice has not been served to the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. It is also said that the government is trying to silence those who raise their voice against it. This is wrong. The victims in this instance were those innocent Catholics who came to pray in the churches and innocent Sri Lankans and foreigners who were in the hotels at the time of the attacks.

They were the victims of a suicide bombing orchestrated by Zahran and his group. These attacks took place because Zahran and his group were not taken into the custody by the former government authorities in fear of losing Muslim votes.

“There had been eight incidents before the Easter Sunday attacks and the attackers should have been arrested. Zahran’s younger brother Rilwan was injured while testing explosives. Three months later two police officers were killed and their weapons taken away in Vavunathivu. Then a month later the Buddha statues in Mawanella were desecrated. A month later, a large stockpile of explosives and about 100 detonators were seized in Wanathawillua.

“Two months later, Thaslin, who provided security authorities with information about Zahran and his group, was shot and seriously injured. A month later, a motorcycle fitted with a bomb was exploded by way of a test run. Thereafter, the Easter attacks took place.

“It is ridiculous to say that this government has not served justice for the victims. It is even more ridiculous that this allegation is made by those who did nothing to prevent those incidents. They could have investigated those eight preceding incidents and taken Zahran and his men into custody to prevent the attacks so that there would not have been any victims.

“We have helped the injured survivors of the Easter Sunday tragedy receive treatment and compensation. If they need anything more, we are ready to grant their requests. It is also our responsibility to bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice and to do justice to the victims.

“We are doing everything possible for their sake. The former government could not do anything meaningful for seven months after the attacks. No suspects had been detained on detention orders. Only a group of suspects had been arrested

“But after this government came to power, we made arrests. Today, there are 74 suspects in remand while 27 are held on detention orders. The investigations are in progress in a systematic manner. This government has taken all necessary steps to ensure that all intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies take independent action against individuals involved in that heinous crime.

“We have taken steps to bring back 52 Sri Lankan nationals from foreign countries. They have been directly and indirectly involved in extremist activities. We have done so with the help of foreign intelligence services. To date, 74 accused have been indicted in ten High Courts. One case has been filed before the Gampaha High Court, two in Kandy, two in the Kurunegala High Court, four in the Puttalam High Court, two in Kegalle, two in Galle, one in Kalmunai, two in Nuwara-Eliya, and thus 24 cases in ten High Courts against the 74 accused.

Similarly, cases have been filed against 23 persons including Naufer Moulavi in Colombo on 23,270 charges, 21 cases have been filed in Kegalle and 14 in Puttalam. Other countries that have been the target of such terrorist attacks had taken five to 20 years to file such cases.

“We have banned 11 local organisations and two international organisations that nurture extremism and terrorist ideology. Also, persons suspected of extremist attacks have been blacklisted under the United Nations Act No. 45 of 1968.

“The federal court in Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against Naufer Moulavi, Mohamed Riskan and Mohamed Millhan, who were the main accused in the attack. The Attorney General provides legal assistance in this regard. Legal action has been taken against three Australians of Sri Lankan origin involved in spreading extremism in Sri Lanka in connection with this attack.

“Steps have been taken to confiscate their properties in this country. Legal action has also been against four Maldivian nationals who had links to the Easter attackers. We have also taken steps to confiscate the assets of the National Thowhee Jamaath, which was responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks.

More than 110,000 phone calls have been analysed.

“Some Opposition MPs spoke of the mastermind of the Easter attacks. According to the evidence we have, the mastermind is none other than Naufer Moulavi, who went to Qatar in 1997 and became an extremist. In 2006, Darul Adar, an organisation was founded in Kattankudy to spread extremism.

In 2008, Naufer went back Qatar to work as an Arabic-English translator. He delivered extremist lectures to Sri Lankans in Qatar. He married off Hidayah, the daughter of his wife’s sister to Zahran.

He was in charge of the ISIS branch in Sri Lanka after 2014. In 2016, Zaharan was conscripted for creating an Islamic state. The Moulavis around Zahran were ideologically driven. Through Zahran, his brother Rilwan, along with Zhaini, mobilised people through social media to work towards creating an Islamic state.

Hadiya’s brother says that Naufer was behind all this. Before the Zahran’s attack, they created a video where they said they were carrying out attacks for the sake of the IS sacrificing their lives for the Caliphate. In addition, if you know of any other mastermind, please let us know”.

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Maldivian President plants a sapling to mark 60 years of Sri Lanka–Maldives Diplomatic Relations

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

President of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who is on a State Visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, planted a sapling this afternoon (04) at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Upon arrival at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was warmly received by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Children lined both sides of the pathway holding the national flags of the two countries and paid tribute to the visiting Maldivian President.

Among those present at the occasion were Deputy Speaker Rizvi Salih, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and the Mayor of Colombo, Vraie Cally Balthazaar, along with several other dignitaries.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

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Sri Lanka and Maldives strengthen ties with productive bilateral talks

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Following the bilateral meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, who is currently on a State visit to Sri Lanka, official-level bilateral discussions between the delegations of the two countries were held this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The discussions commenced after the formal welcome ceremony accorded to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier this morning within the Presidential Secretariat premises.

Extending a warm welcome to the Maldivian President, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his appreciation for accepting the invitation to visit Sri Lanka.

President Dissanayake noted that President Muizzu’s visit, taking place as the two nations mark 61 years of diplomatic relations, reflects the strong partnership, mutual trust and longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The President further expressed confidence that the visit would mark a new phase in bilateral relations.

The two leaders engaged in extensive discussions on ways to further expand and diversify multifaceted cooperation, including economic, cultural and social ties, in a manner that delivers mutual benefits to the people of both countries.

Key areas of focus included tourism promotion, educational cooperation, youth and sports development, challenges faced by both nations in the fisheries sector within the Indian Ocean region, education and vocational training, as well as defence training and broader security cooperation.

Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Science and Technology, Krishantha Abeysena; Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired), Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (covering Europe, North America, East Asia and Oceania, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Legal Affairs) M. R. K. Lenagala, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mohamed Rizvi Hassan and Director (South Asia and SAARC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Mahesha Jayawardena.

The Maldivian delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, Chief of Staff to the President, Abdulla Fayaz, Principal Secretary to the President on Foreign Relations, Mohamed Naseer; Chief Government Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, High Commissioner of the Maldives to Sri Lanka,Masood Imad; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chief of Protocol , Mohamed Shahudy, Deputy Minister at the President’s Office, Mr Mohamed Hassaan and Minister Counsellor at the Maldives High Commission in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ismail Mamdhooh.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

News

Maldives and Sri Lanka exchange seven MOUs

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), signed across several sectors between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, were formally exchanged this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives.

Marking a new chapter in Maldives–Sri Lanka relations, the MoUs cover cooperation in the fields of health, sports, tourism, education and defence.

Accordingly:

1. MoU on Tourism Cooperation between the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

2. MoU on Archiving Cooperation between the Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka and the National Archives of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

3. MoU on Training and Professional Development of Teachers and School Leaders between the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development of the Maldives and the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

4. MoU on Sports and Youth Development Cooperation between the Republic of Maldives and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.

5. MoU on Defence Cooperation between the National Counter Terrorism Centre of the Maldives and the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired).

6. MoU between the Ministry of Defence and National Service of the Maldives and General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara.

7. MoU on Academic Cooperation between the University of Colombo of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Professor Indika Mahesh Karunathilake.

The state visit of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, undertaken at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, aims to further strengthen economic, cultural and social ties between the two countries, while enhancing their multifaceted partnership.

Cabinet Ministers, government officials and members of the Maldivian delegation, representing both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, were present at the occasion.

[President’s Media Division]